O's game blog: Looking for a three-game win streak as CWS series continues

With Monday's 13-3 win in the homestand opener against the Chicago White Sox, the Orioles tonight are taking another run at a three-game win streak.

They have been hard to come by lately. Their last came from July 14-20 when the Orioles won the last game of the first half versus the Yankees and the first two of the second half at Texas. The last time the team won on three straight days, they did so on four straight, from June 26-29.

Since July 20, the O's have won two in a row six times but each time lost the third game. Tonight maybe the seventh time is the charm.

Monday's game was one of their highest scoring games of the year for the O's bats, topped only by a 17-5 win June 20 at Yankee Stadium. Their 18 hits yesterday were topped only by the 20 hits in that same June game.

By comparison, the Orioles got 10 runs on 18 hits and six extra-base hits in three games at Dodger Stadium. Then they had 13 runs, 18 hits and six extra-base in one game versus the White Sox.

Every O's starter recorded a hit for the third time this season, scored a run for an majors-high fourth time and did both for the first time since Aug. 25, 2017 at Boston and for the first time at home since Aug. 26, 2011 vs. the Yankees.

Gunnar Henderson hit a leadoff homer in the O's first. It was No. 34, tying the club's single-season record for homers in a year by a shortstop, done previously by Miguel Tejada (in 2004) and Cal Ripken Jr. (in 1991). J.J. Hardy hit 30 in 2011.

Baltimore had the leadoff batter on base in each of the first six innings for the first time since July 4, 1997 (Game 2) at Detroit, per the Elias Sports Bureau. The Birds have hit 12 leadoff home runs this year: nine by Henderson, two by Colton Cowser and one by Jordan Westburg; that is the most in the major league this year, ahead of the Phillies (11) and tied for the most in one season by the Orioles with the 1996 team, for which Brady Anderson hit all 12.

With his next home run, Anthony Santander will reach 40. Only seven switch-hitters (11 occurrences) in major league history have hit at least 40 home runs in a season: the Mets' Carlos Beltrán (2006), Houston's Lance Berkman (2002, 2006), Texas' Mark Teixeira (2005), Atlanta's Chipper Jones (1999), the Mets' Todd Hundley (1996), San Diego's Ken Caminiti (1996), and the Yankees' Mickey Mantle (1956, 1958, 1960, 1961). Mantle is the only switch-hitter in big league history to hit 50 homers, when he did so in 1956 (52) and 1961 (54).

Santander will become the eighth player in O's history to hit 40 or more. The last was Mark Trumbo, who hit 47 in the 2016 season.

The miserable year of the White Sox continued Monday as they fell to 31-108 (.223). They are 48 1/2 games out in the American League Central and have lost 11 in a row and 15 of their past 16 games. Chicago is 0-5 versus the Orioles and 13-54 on the road.

The White Sox have lost a franchise-record 108 games and are a franchise-record 77 games below .500. They need to go 12-11 (.522) over their final 23 games to avoid tying the 1962 New York Mets (40-120) for the most losses in major league history. The Sox have endured losing streaks this season of 21 games (July 10-Aug. 5), 14 (May 22-June 6) 11 (current) and seven (April 20-25), and they have lost a franchise record-tying 12 straight games at home.

Tonight, O's lefty Cade Povich (1-7, 6.58 ERA) will make his 12th start after allowing five runs each of his last two. In those two games versus Houston and the Los Angeles Dodgers he gave up 18 hits and 10 runs in 8 1/3 innings, allowing a .439 average against and 1.196 OPS. He has given up five runs or more five times while allowing three runs or fewer six times.

Righty Nick Nastrini (0-6, 7.04 ERA) goes for Sox, making his eighth start. His last one was a good one in which he gave up one run in six innings against Texas. The Sox are 1-6 this year in starts by Nastrini, who was drafted by the Dodgers in round four of the 2021 draft out of UCLA.

In 18 games this year at Triple-A, he was 3-9 with a 5.24 ERA. He is ranked as Chicago's No. 9 prospect, per Baseball America, and No. 17 via MLBPipeline.com.

Farm notes: Infielder Steve Ondina out of Arizona State, signed by the Orioles as a free agent after the 2024 MLB Draft, is joining Low-A Delmarva tonight. His first game will be his professional debut. 

As previously reported here, five 2024 O's draft picks are joining High-A Aberdeen from Delmarva. They are outfielder Vance Honeycutt, infielder Griff O’Ferrall, catcher Ethan Anderson, outfielder Austin Overn and catcher Ryan Stafford.

Catcher Adam Retzbach is moving from Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie and so is infielder Carter Young. Catcher Cole Urman goes from Aberdeen to Delmarva.

These players are moving from Double-A to Triple-A Norfolk: Infielders Noelberth Romero and Anthony Servideo and righty pitcher Levi Stoudt.

Infielder Collin Burns goes on the Bowie injured list and infielder Luis Valdez moves to Bowie from the FCL roster.